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BARABOO 

And Other Place Names 
In Sauk County, Wisconsin 




By H. E. COLE 
Baraboo, Wis. 



The Baraboo News Publishing Co. 

BARABOO. WISCONSIN 
December. 1912 









JAN 



-J «9t8 



INTRODUCTION 




iLACES are named for 
various reasons. Fre- 
quently the name of 
a person is commem- 
orated, many appella- 
tions are of Indian 
origin, again a name is often applied 
because of some natural characteristi c 
or object of the locality. 

Once Governor Doty of Wisconsin 
pointed to a river and of an Indian asked 
its name. The Indian supposed the gov- 
ernor meant the water in the river and 
not the name of the stream and res- 
ponded "Nee-nah". The Indian word 
for water is "nee-nah" and to this day 
the river is called Neenah. 

There was once a Frenchman at 
Portage by the name of Paquette and 
when the people of the village now 
known as Poynette desired the govern- 
ment to establish a postoffice, Uncle 
Sam asked what the name should be. 

PAQUETTE 

or 
POYNETTE 

when scrawled with a goose quill pen 
might easily enough have the "A" look 
like an "O"', the "Q" like a "Y" and 

[5] 



the "U" like an "N". So it was when 
the would be postmaster sent the name 
down to Washington. The clerks had 
never heard the name Paquette and 
so decided the name was Poynette. 
When the name of the office came back 
to the Columbia county hamlet the citi- 
zens thought it was a great joke and let 
the matter rest. The place is called Poy- 
nette to this day. 

Not only are names sometimes ap- 
plied in an unusual manner, but place 
names are often changed for trivial rea- 
sons. A study of the origin of the place 
names in a community is an interesting 
one. On account of its importance the 
name Baraboo is here given first place, 
followed by the other names in the 
county. 



[6] 



BARABOO 



Whence came the word Baraboo? It 
was first applied to the river, then to the 
rapids, bluffs and valleys and later to 
the town and city. There are many con- 
jectures and uncertainties surrounding 
the appellation and it is very doubtful if 
the mystery will ever be cleared. 

In W. H. Canfield's "Outline 
Sketches of Sauk County" published in 
1873, he says: 

"John de la Ronde, a Frenchman 
who settled at Fort Winnebago, May 5, 
1828, and now living with his Winne- 
bago wife upon the banks of the Bara- 
boo river, six miles from Portage, says 
the river received its name from a Cap- 
tain Barebeauy, who was in Moran's ex- 
pedition against the Indians, and who 
wintered at the mouth of the stream. 

"On a 'Sixpenny map of the Uni- 
ted States' brought from Glasgow, Scot- 
land, by John Dickey, in 1842, a river 
bearing the name of Belle Chasse oc- 
cupies a position nearly where the Bara- 
boo river is situated. Mr. Dickey thinks 
the map was published in 1817. Its Eng- 
lish would be 'beautiful chase, '—fine 
hunting grounds. 

"Upon Farnam's map of the Terri- 
tories of Michigan and Ouisconsin, pub- 

[7] 



lished in 1830, it is called Bonibeau's 
Creek. 

"upon the map of Long's Second 
Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 
1823, it is called Mahlenak. 

Morse & Brees' Map of Wisconsin, 
published in 1844, is the first to call it 
Baraboo." 

The Winnebago Indian name is 
Ocoochery, signifying "plenty of fish." 

The information is sometimes given 
that there was once a large sand bar in 
the Wisconsin river at the mouth of the 
Baraboo river and that at that time the 
latter stream was known as "Beau" or 
something of that nature. This word 

preceded by the word bar makes Bar- 
beau which is easily expressed as Bara- 
boo. 

According to an article by William 
Hill in the "History of Sauk County," 
published in 1880, Baraboo is derived 
from a French surname. Aside from the 
mythical old Frenchman, "Barabeau," 
to whom legend assigned a shanty at the 
mouth of the river in days prior to the 
settlement of the valley, a number of 
names of real personages give hints of 
the name Baraboo. The Barbou fam- 
ily was, perhaps, the most cele- 
brated family of printers of France from 
the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. 

[8] 



The same author hints at the name being 
given in honor of Lieutenant General de 
la Barre, of the eighteenth century and 
Colonel Isaac Barre, who was a friend 
of Wolfe and saw him die at Quebec. 

At the time the county history was 
published Professor Henry of the Smith- 
sonian Institution said that it might 
have come from French Barbue — cat- 
fish — a not uncommon designation of 
rivers and creeks by the eaily voyageurs; 
or from Barbeau — carp or sucker. What 
is now Putman's creek in Essex county, 
New York, was Riviere a la Barbue of 
the French and is so set down on M. de 
Levy's map of 1748, and in Pouchet's 
Memoir of the war of 1755-60. Other 
examples are given and he says that the 
transition of Barbue to Baraboo is easy. 

Mr. Hill found that the term Bar- 
beau was synonymous with Barbel, a 
large, coarse, fresh-water fish having 
several barbs of beard-like feelers pend- 
ant from the leathery sucker like mouth, 
which gave it the name. At that time 
the Baraboo river was rich in sturgeon 
and catfish as recorded by Archibald 
Barker. In the spring of 1841, while 
running down the Baraboo river, Mr. 
Barker says: 

"In company with Ed. Kingsley, 
going down the lower Baraboo Rapids 
each on a crib, I hallooed to him to look 

[9] 



— that somebody seemed to have made a 
dam of stone across the river. As we ap- 
proached we saw it was the backs and 
tails of fishes. We were soon among 
them and found they were sturgeons. I 
killed three with a handspike. In jump- 
ing into the water to get them I was 
knocked down by others running against 
my legs. For a short distance the river 
seemed to be jammed full of them." 

Mr. Hill was of the opinion that 
"Riviere a la Barbeau" should in the 
case of Baraboo be interpreted "Stur- 
geon River." It strengthens this con- 
clusion that the Winnebago name of the 
river, Ocoochery, signifies "plenty of 
fish." 

Bearing upon this subject Louis 
Claude wrote March 12, 1872, as follows: 
"The name 'Baraboo' is now up for 
final judgment, and although the abun- 
dance of 'suckers' both aquatic and ter- 
restrial, which it appears has always 
distinguished this valley lends so great 
a weight to the 'Barbeau' theory that I 
will not 'carp' at it, still I beg to offer 
the following mite of suggestion — it can 
hardly be called information — viz; Fif- 
teen years ago, I brought here a map of 
the date of about 1837, which a small 
but dishonest boy sold me (emphatic- 
ally) on the cars for one of 1857. On 
this map the Baraboo river is marked as 

[10] 



Barivaut's or Baribaut's Creek. I have 
always believed the above to be the cor- 
rect derivation." 

There is a statement in the same 
History of Sauk County from Hon. J. 
Allen Barber that in 1649 and 1650 the 
Hurons and their allies, who had been 
converted to Christianity by Father 
Brebeuf, were overthrown by the Iro- 
quois, and part of them fled to Wiscon- 
sin on their w-ay to the Mississippi. 
They were met and driven back by tlie 
Sioux. In 1659 — 60 the French traders 
found them stationed about six days' 
journey southwest of Lake Superior, or 
not far from what is now called Bara- 
boo. Very soon after that period they 
had returned to Green Bay. As they 
were Christians, may they not have 
given the name of their religious teach- 
er, whose memory they would honor, to 
their temporary residence near the por- 
tage? The word 'Brebeuf might possi- 
bly leave its shadow behind in the form 
of Brabo or Baraboo. 

John T. de la Ronde was a ready 
writer and gives the following as the 
origin of the name Baraboo according to 
his narrative in the Wisconsin Histori- 
cal Collections. In speaking of his jour- 
ney through this region he says: "I may 
mention what I learned from the Per- 
rish Grignon, older than his half-broth- 

[11] 



er, Augustine Grignon, derived from 
his grandfather, Charles Ivanglade: That 
when Captain Moran defeated the Sauks 
and Foxes at the Butte des Morts, in 
the last century, they fled to what is 
now known as Sauk Prairie; and when 
Moran heard of their new location, he 
drove them down the river, leaving a 
force under an officer named Rabault, 
and from him Rabault or Earaboo river 
received its name. 

W. H. Stennett in "A History of 
the Origin of the Place Names on the 
Chicago & Northwestern Railway" says 
Baraboo was named for Jean Baribault, 
an early French trapper and settler. A 
river of this name was by Miss Julia A. 
Lapham asserted to have been named 
for Capt. Barabeary, who was alleged to 
have been an officer in Moran's expedi- 
tion against the Indians, but there does 
not seem to be any real evidence to sus- 
tain the story, as it is very certain the 
river was named after Jean Baribault, 
who lived on this stream before Moran's 
expedition was ever thought of. 

Mrs. Kinziein "Waubun" spells the 
word "Barribault, ' ' but does not say why 
the river is so named. The same refer- 
ence is made in Wisconsin Historical 
Collections. 

Henry Gannett in his volume on 
"The Origin of Certain Place Names" 

[12] 



says that Baraboo was named for Jean 
Baribault, a French settler. 

In the Wisconsin Historical Collec- 
tions, B. W. Brisbois says that Bari- 
beau or Baribault was the name of an 
old Canadian French trader, who had 
his trading^ post on what is now known 
as Baraboo river, and which stream took 
its name from him. As M. Brisbois. 
Sen'r knew him well and often spoke of 
him, he must have traded there the lat- 
ter part of the last century or early in 
this. Mr. Brisbois does not know what 
became of the trader or anything further 
of his history. 

K. Estabrook of Omaha wrote on 
March 15, 1872: "Governor Doty told 
me as many as twenty-five years ago 
that when he was one of the judges of 
the territory of Michigan (embracing 
Wisconsin) he used to travel from Green 
Bay to Prairie du Chien by canoe up 
the Fox river, across the portage and 
down the Wisconsin; that one of his 
stopping places was the trading post of 
a Frenchman named Barabeau at the 
mouth of the river now known as the 
Baraboo, that the river took its name 
from this trader." 

His brother, Capt. M. H. Esta- 
brook, commanded the steamboat, Sam 
Ward, on Lake Superior. In walking 

[13] 



through the old French village, now 
Sault Ste. Marie, he saw a sign to a 
trading house on the main street, 



P. BARBEAU. 



On May 12, 1872, B . W. Brisbois 
wrote from Prairie du Chien that Bari- 
baut had a permanent trading station 
where the county seat is now located, 
about 12 miles west of the Wisconsin 
portage. When the place was settled the 
American people could not well pro- 
nounce the name Baribaut and to come 
as near as they could to the name, it 
was changed to Baraboo. 

James G. Soulard wrote from Ga- 
lena on May 26 of the same year: "l re- 
ceived my information in boyhood from 
Pierre Baribeau (which Brisbois spells 
Baribaut) whose name was spelled in 
my father's account book Pierre Bari- 
bault. He was a carpenter and worked 
many years for ni}^ father in St. lyouis, 
Mo., in that capacity. He was a truthful 
and remarkably honest man, and a na- 
tive of Montreal, Canada, or of that im- 
mediate neighborhood, and established 
and kept for many years a trading post, 
as explained by my friend Brisbois. Bar- 
ibeau's statements were made to me in 

[14] 



the years 1808 to 1810 in St. lyouis. 
Baribault went to Wisconsin probabl}^ 
in 1800 or before." 

On John Farmer's map of the Ter- 
ritories of Michigan and Ouisconsin 
printed in 1830, the name of the river is 
Bonibau's creek. 

S. Augustus Mitchell's map of 
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, Philadel- 
phia, 1831, the name is Bonibau's 
creek. 

On another map by the above map 
maker, Philadelphia, 1835, the name is 
the same. 

On a map printed in 1836 by Phelps 
& Squire of New York and now in the 
Sauk County Historical society, the 
name of the river is given as Bonibau's 
creek. 

In General William R. Smith's his- 
tory of Wisconsin, published in 1838, 
the name of the river is given as Boni- 
bau's creek. 

On a state map of Wiskonsan, 1840, 
(?) the name is Baraboo. 

On a state map of Wiskonsan, 1844, 
the name is Beribeau river. 

Miss Louise Phelps Kellogg, of the 
State Historical society, adds the follow- 
ing account concerning the Baribeau 
family found in Tanguay's Genealogi- 
cal dictionary: 

"The first of the name in Nev/ 

[15] 



France was Francois Baribeaii, who was 
born in 1624, (probably in France altho 
the record does not say so) was married 
in 1669 and died at Batiscan, leaving a 
number of children, who spell the name 
in various ways; Baribaut, Baribault 
and Baribeau. (The pronunciation is the 
same in every case and should be given 
long o, like o in robe). Francois' sons 
were lyouis, Jean (l), Pierre, and Fran- 
cois, junior, some of whom lived at 
Batiscan, but others at Ste. Anne de la 
Pirade. Of the third generation there 
were Michel and Jean Baptiste, sons of 
lyouis; Jean (2), Francois Antoine, 
Francois (2) Joseph, sons of Jean (l). 
Michel had a son of the same name; and 
Jean Baptiste three sons, Pierre, Joseph 
and Francois. Jean (2), had a son lyOuis 
Joseph, Francois (3), a son of the same 
name; Francois Antoine, a son named 
Jean Baptiste, and Joseph a son of the 
same name. 

So the family widens and the plau- 
sible conclusion is that there was a 
Frenchman by the name of Baribeau 
who established himself as a trader on 
the Baraboo river early in the last cen- 
tury or near the close of the century be- 
fore. When Dr. Reuben Gold Thwaites 
<f Madison edited the Mackinac Register 
he found that Sieur F. Baribeau (pro- 
nounced Baraboo) voyager, v/as god- 

[16] 



father at the baptism of a female neo- 
phyte, July 22, 1847. There is nothing 
to indicate which one of the Baribeaus 
came to Wisconsin, and had a trading 
post at the mouth of the Baraboo river. 
Tanguay's record does not come beyond 
1791; and all it proves is that there was 
a well known family of that name and 
that the "f. Baribeau" mentioned in the 
Mackinac Register (1747) was probably 
Francois, the progenitor of the family. 
Francois (3) was married in 1742 at 
Montreal, and was probably the signer 
at the baptismal service as written in 
the register in 1747. 

One writer says that Baribeau was 
a young man, only seventeen years old, 
when he sought the Wisconsin wilder- 
ness to secure pelts for the Hudson Bay 
company and later for the American 
Fur company. Portage was the nearest 
settlement and when speaking of him it 
would be natural to say down at Bari- 
beau's or Baraboo's. Hence the name 
appeared in various ways on the early 
maps and in the early annals of this 
region. 

From whence this Frenchman came 
or whither he went there is much un- 
certainty. Of him we know so little that 
he is a veritable man of mystery . 



ri7] 



OTHER PLACE NAMES 



Ableman — Village named for Col. 
Stephen Van Rensselaer Ableman. The 
place was once called Ablemans Mills, 
Rock Springs and Excelsior. The name 
of Rock Springs was given from the 
springs at the base of the rocky bluff, 
and Excelsior from the seal of New 
York. See Excelsior. 

Adams — See Baraboo. 

Babbs Prairie — Level tract near 
Reedsburg, named for James W. Babb 
and son, John, who settled on the prairie 
in 1845. 

Badger — In connection with these 
pages on Sauk County place names it is 
interesting to note why Wisconsin is 
called the Badger State and the residents 
Badgers. Dr. R. G. Thwaites in his 
"Stories of the Badger State" says: "In 
the old lead mining days of Wisconsin, 
miners from southern Illinois and still 
farther south returned home every win- 
ter, and came back to the 'diggings' in 
the spring, thus imitating the migra- 
tions of the fish popularly called the 
'sucker', in the south-flowing rivers of 
the region. For this reason the south - 
winterers were humorously called 'Suck- 
ers.' On the other hand, lead miners 
from the far-off Eastern states were un- 

[18] 



able to return home every winter, and 
at first lived in rude dugouts, burrowing 
into the hillsides after the fashion of the 
badger. These burrowing men were 
the first permanent settlers in the mines 
north of the Illinois line, and called 
themselves 'Badgers.' Thus Wisconsin, 
in later days, when it was thought 
necessary to adopt a nickname, was by 
its own people dubbed 'The Badger 
State.' " 

Badger Valley — Vale nine miles east 
of Spring Green, named for animals 
once numerous there. 

Bald Bluff — Hill in the eastern part 
of Greenfield. Years ago there was no 
timber on the land but since the coming 
of the early settlers trees have covered 
the hill. From this elevation or from 
that region several streams have their 
origin and among them are Jackson, 
Sibertz, Calydon, Clark and Palmer 
creeks. 

Ball Prairie— Small level tract in the 
western part of the county, named for 
resident. 

Baraboo — City, town, river, valley 
and bluffs. See first article. The town 
of Baraboo was originally in the north- 
western part of the county. See map. 

Baraboo — The county seat which, on 
the maps and in the early accounts, was 
spoken of as "On the Baraboo", similar 

[19] 



to saying "On the Wabash" or "On the 
Lemonweir. ' ' Afterwards it was ' 'Bara- 
boo Rapids" and "Baraboo Mills." 
When a plat was made by Charles O. 
Baxter for Prescott Brigham, Mr. Brig- 
ham decided to call the place Adams as 
he held John Q. Adams and the Adams 
family in Massachusetts in great esteem. 
Soon after George Brown made a plat of 
his property and called it Baraboo. 
Much of Brown's land was south of the 
river. On January 14, 1849, the board 
of county commissioners ordered the 
plats of Adams and Baraboo to be called 
Brooklyn, but the villages continued to 
be separate until May, 1866, when a 
village charter was obtained uniting the 
two under the present name. At the 
suggestion of the postal authorities in 
1852 the name Adams was dropped and 
the postoflfice was afterwards known as 
Baraboo. As to the origin of the word 
Baraboo see first article. 
X^ Bassinger Island— Island in the 
Wisconsin river opposite section nine in 
the town of Merrimack, named for Dr. 
Samuel H. Bassinger, formerly of Prairie 
du Sac and member of the legislature. 
Bear Greek— Town and stream in 
the southwestern part of the county so 
called on account of the prevalence of 
bears in that vicinity in the early da3^s. 

[20] 



The town was named after the stream. 
The Winnebago word for Bear Creek is 
Hoonge-Nee-Shun-ick. 
Bessemer— See North Freedom. 
Big Creek —Stream in the town of 
La Valle. Name suggested from the 
size of the stream. 

Big Hollow— The name of a can- 
yon or valley three miles long atid three 
miles wide in the town of Spring Green , 
named for size. There are a number of 
these so called hollows along the bluffs. 

Black Hawk— Discontinued post- 
office in the town of Troy named for the 
Indian Chief, Black Hawk, leader of the 
Indians in the Black Hawk war. After 
the battle near Sauk City the Indians 
fled through the wilderness near where 
the hamlet is located. 

Blakeslie Prairie— Level tract of 
land in Ironton, named for early resi- 
dent. 

Bloom— See North Freedom. 

Bluff Postoffice— A discontinued 
postofSce on the East Sauk road, town 
of Sumpter, near the bluff. 

Brooklyn— One of the original 
towns in the northeast portion of the 
county. See map. It was named by 
R. G. Camp for Brooklyn, New York, 
that city being named for Breuckelen, 
Holland. The name signifies "broken 
up land" or "marshy land." 

[21] 



Calydon — When the United States 
geological surveyors were at Diirwards 
glen at the time of making the contour 
map of this region they asked B. I. Dur- 
ward, the poet-painter who resided there, 
for the name of the stream flowing 
through the glen. He replied, "the 
Calydon." It comes from Caledonia and 
is the poetical expression of the word. 
"Oh Caledonia, steru and wild," 

says Scott in the "Lay of the I^ast Min- 
strel " 

"Not thus in Ancient Days of Calydon," 

he also sings in the "L,ady of the Lake." 

Caledonia is an ancient name in vScot- 
land, the native land of Mr. Durward. 

Cahoon Mine — Iron mine opened 
in 1911 about two miles south of Bara- 
boo and named for former Assemblyman 
Wilber Cahoon. 

Carr Creek and Carr Valley— 
Stream and vale in Ironton named for 
David Carr. 

Casseli -Discontinued postofiice in 
the town of Troy. See Casseli prairie. 

Casseli Prairie — Level tract in town 
of Troy, named for Dr. J. N. Casseli. 

Chapman Lake — Small body of 
water in Fairfield, named for Parkman 
Chapman. 

Christiehood Prairie— Level tract 
of land between Baraboo and North 

[22] 



Freedom, named for James Christie. 

Clark Creek — Stream which enters 
the Baraboo river in Glenville, about a 
mile southeast of Baraboo, named for 
Judge A. M. Clark. 

Cliff House — Abandoned hotel and 
discontinued postofnce on the north 
shore of Devils lake. It was originally 
called Minnewaukan after a lake by 
that name in North Dakota 

Climax — A railroad siding between 
I^a Valle and Wonewoc. The farmers 
in the neighborhood called it Poor Dickie 
and finally it simmered down to the 
meaningless word, Podunk. The place 
is sometimes called Crossmans crossing, 
for a land owner there. 

Clinton Square— Paik in Lyons 
named for Governor DeWitt Clinton of 
New York. Governor Clinton was one 
of the projectors of the Erie canal and 
W. H. Canfield was a surveyer on the 
new water-way. Afterwards, in 1846, 
Mr. Canfield, deputy district surveyor 
for Sauk county in the territory of Wis- 
consin, made a plat of Lyons and named 
the public square or central park for the 
Empire state executive. 

Collamer — See Merrimack. 

Congress Flail — Glen between Del- 
ton and the Wisconsin river named by 
the Topping family about 1850 from the 
form of the first chamber r.t the entrance. 



Coon Bluff — Elevation in Dellona 
where the animals are numerous. 

Copper Creek — Stream in Wmfield 
named because copper ore was found 
there. The ore came down from the 
north in glacial times and was known 
as ''floating ore." The land was held 
by the government for a long time on 
account of the supposed mineral wealth 
and in the meantime much of the ore 
was hauled away. 

Cramers Corners — See Plain. 

Crawford Creek — See Draper Creek. 

Crossman — See CHmax. 

Dawn — Summer home of the Ker- 
foot family on the Wisconsin river near 
Kilbourn. When S. H. Kerfoot, Sr., 
and bride came from Virginia to Lake 
View, Chicago, they called their home 
Dawn, as symbolical of the beginning 
of their married life. The Wisconsin 
home was named in memory of the Chi" 
cago residence. 

Dead Mans Spring— On section 21, 
town of Excelsior. In 1846, a man 
died near a spring and it was afterwards 
named Dead Mans spring, by James 
Babb. The man who died there was a 
surveyor. His name has been forgotten. 

Dell Creek — A streim in the north- 
east portion of the county. The word 
Dells, as applied to the region of the 
Wisconsin river above and below Kil- 

[24] 



bourn, comes from the French, Dalles, 
meaning the narrows of a river or 
between the cliffs. No doubt the place 
was given the name by early Frenchmen 
who came to this region. From the 
word dells we get L,ower Dells, Upper 
Dells, Dell Prairie, Fern Dell and Dell 
creek. Delton, as applied to the town 
and village, is a contraction of Dell 
Town. Dellona, the name of a town, is 
from the same source. DeU creek was 
named from the number of dells along 
the stream. The name appears as 
early as 1845 as shown by the govern- 
ment plats of the survej^s. 

Dellona — One of the towns. See 
Dells. 

Dellona — Discontinued postofiice in 
the town of Dellona. See Dells. 

Delton — One of the towns. See 
Dells. 

Delton — Village in the town of Del- 
ton, platted by Edward Norris and 
called Norris, for himself. When the 
postofiice was established it was called 
Loretto, the first name of Mrs. Norris. 
Afterwards the name was changed to 
Delton. 

Denzer — Discontinued postofiice in 
Honey Creek, named for William Den- 
zer. 

Devils Lake— Going back to the 
days of the Indian this body of water 

[25] 



was called Minnewaukan or n'vil Spirit 
lake. The lake has unusual echoing 
powers and for this reason the Indians 
supposed the bluffs were infested with 
spirits. The belief is current that the 
Indians were afraid to camp there be- 
cause of the evil spirits in the hills. 
When I. A. I^apham visited the lake in 
the fall of 1849 he wrote in his field 
notes, now in the Sauk County Histori- 
cal society; "The lake is vulgarly 
called Devils lake from the wild, rocky 
place in which it is found." The first 
recorded visit of any person to the lake 
is James S. Alban, the first permanent 
settler in Sauk county. While wander- 
ing through the hills in 1839 he caught 
a glimpse of its sparkling surface through 
the trees. On the early maps it is called 
L,ake of the Hills or Devils lake. 

Devils Lake— Station formerly called 
Kirkland, for Noble C. Kirk. When 
the Cliff House was occupied the post- 
office there was called Devils Lake and 
at the sam.e time the railroad called the 
station at Kirkland, Devils Lake. This 
was confusing to the postoffice and rail- 
road company so the postoffice at Kirk- 
land was changed to Devils Lake when 
the one at the Cliff House was discon- 
tinued. 

Devils Nose — The eastern extremity 
of the south range of bluffs, named by 

[26] 



the employes of the Chicago & North- 
western railwa^^ who built the road. 

Draper Creek— A stream which 
flows into the Baraboo river at the 
pumping station named for John Draper. 
It was formerly called Crawford creek 
for James Crawford. 

Eagle — One of the original towns in 
the county, named probably for national 
emblem. See map. 

Excelsior — One of the towns, named 
by Col. S. V. R. Ableman. The name 
appears in the seal of the state of New 
York, the native commonwealth of Col. 
Ableman . 

Excelsior— See Ableman. 

Fairfield — Town, probably named for 
Fairfield, Massachusetts. The town 
was first named Flora by Timothy 
Adams for an old sweetheart. The 
residents did not like the name and a 
petition was circulated by John Craw- 
ford which resulted in a change. The 
counties and towns of New England 
named Fairfield were so called from the 
beauty of their fields. 

Featherston Creek— Stream in 
Ironton, named for Thomas Feather- 
ston. 

Flora- See Fairfield. 

Franklin — Town, named for Benja- 
min Franklin or geographical division 
of the same name in another state. 

[27] 



Freedom — Town, the name no doubt 
is patriotic. Freedom was formerly a 
part of other towns and the residents 
worked hard to be separated. When 
the new town was formed the word 
Freedom may have been used as typical 
of their efforts. 

Garrison —Abandoned village and 
discontinued postoflice at the Lower 
Narrows of the Baraboo river, named 
for Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Garrison, 
residents there. 

Giddings — Discontinued postoffice, 
section one, town of Excelsior, probably 
named for Joshua Reed Oriddings, an 
American statesman. 

Glenville — Region southeast and 
near Baraboo, named by C. L,. Pearson 
for the glen like appearance of the local- 
ity. The little red school house was 
once the name of the section. 

Gordon — A telegraph station estab- 
lished between Reedsburg and I,a Valle 
when the Chicago & Northwestern 
built a second track. The origin of the 
name is unknown unless it be for Will- 
iam W. Gordon, president of a railroad 
in Georgia. 

Greenfield — Town named by Nathan 
Dennison for Greenfield, Massachusetts, 
his former home. Greenfield, Massa- 
chusetts was named for a river which 

[28] 



intersects it. Before its incorporation 
as a town the settlement was known as 
"Green River District." 

Hacketts Corners — See North Free- 
dom. 

Haraszthy — See Sauk City. 
Harrisburg — Discontinued postoffice, 

section sev^enteen, town of Troy, named 
for John W. Harris. It was originally 
spelled Harrisburgh. 

Hay Creek — Stream near Reedsburg 
where the early residents cut hay, hence 
its name. 

Haystacks — Elevations in Dellona 
having fantastic shapes, as the name 
implies. 

Hill Point— See Tuckerville. 

Hubbell Prairie — Level tract of land 
in La Valle, named for early owner. 

Hulbert Creek — Stream in the town 
of Delton, named for Joel Hulbert. 

Honey Creek — I. A. Lapham in his 
History of Wisconsin, published in 1836, 
says the stream is called Naumatonan or 
Honey Creek. The former name is 
probably Winnebago but its meaning is 
unknown. The name of Honey creek 
was applied to the stream on account 
of so many wild bees with rich stores of 
honey being found there by the early 
settlers. Honey creek is the largest 
stream wholly within the county. 

[29] 



Honey Creek — Town named for the 
stream. The town was originally much 
larger. See map. 

Horse Bluff — An elevation just west 
of the village of La Valle named in a 
peculiar way. H. C. Palmer relates 
that in an early day several hunters were 
camped there and while seated around 
the blazing fire, smoking their pipes, 
they were startled by the neighing of a 
horse. Very soon a pony, saddled and 
bridled, came trotting into the camp. 
For two days a search was made for the 
owner without avail. The only white 
men known in that vicinity at the time 
were James W. Babb and his son, John, 
on Babbs Prairie. The mystery was 
never cleared and since that day the ele- 
vation has been known as Horse Bluff. 

Humboldt — Discontinued postoffice, 
section thirty-five, town of Ironton, 
probably named for the geographer, 
Baron Alexander von Humboldt. 

Ironton — Town and village, named 
by Jonas Tower on account of the 
presence of iron. Early surveyors re- 
ported iron on account of the variation 
of the needle. 

Iroquois Mine —An iron mine in the 
town of Freedom, first called the Sauk 
mine for the name of the county. It 
was originally owned by the Iroquois 

[30] 



Iron Co. which operated the Iroquois 
Furnace company. When the Oliver 
Iron Mining company purchased the 
plant the name was changed to Iroquois 
for the name of the furnace. The word 
Iroquois is from one of the five great 
Indian nations which once inhabited 
central New York, and is said to come 
from "hiro", I have said, and from 
"koue", a vocable, which expresses, joy 
or sorrow, according to the rapidity 
with which it is pronounced. 

Jackson Creek— A stream which 
enters the Baraboo river near the Jackson 
bridge in Greenfield and is usually 
called Jackson creek for J. Jackson, an 
early settler. On the United States 
topographical map issued about 1897 
the stream is called Rowley creek, the 
name being that of another resident. In 
territorial times the stream, or at least 
the upper portion of it, was known as 
LrCambros creek. Leambro lived with 
a group of Indians at the headwaters of 
the cteek. He was a Frenchman and 
had a squaw for a wife. 

Jonesviile —Discontinued postoffice , 
northeast corner of section nineteen, 
town of Spring Green, named for 
Thomas Jones, the first postmaster. The 
office stood on an Indian burying ground 
which has since been eaten away by the 
Wisconsin river. 

[31] 



Karstetter Prairie — Level tract of 
land in La Valle, named for early owner. 

Kings Corners — Discontinued post- 
office in the town of Sumpter, named 
for Solomon King. The village plat was 
called New Haven. 

Kingston —One of the original towns, 
named for Kingston, New York, the 
home of the King family, early resi- 
dents in the town. See Sumpter. 

Kirkland— See Devils Lake. 

Kirkwood — Railroad siding west of 
Baraboo. Stennett says the name was 
given for N. C. and Timothy Kirk. 

La Bars Pond — See Mirror lake. 

Lake of the Hills — See Devils lake. 

La Rue— Village site platted in the 

town of Freedom and named for W. G. 

/ La Rue, a former resident of Baraboo, 

who was instrumental in locating the 

vast beds of ore in the region. 

La Valle — Town and village. The 
name means "the valley." There is 
some dispute as to who should have the 
honor of applying the term. See Mars- 
ton. 

Leach Creek — John Brink named 
Leach lake and creek from the fact that 
the water leached or percolated through 
the soil. Brink was a United States sur- 
veyor from Crystal Lake, 111., and when 
he made the subdivisions of Fairfield he 

[32] 



camped near the creek. 
Leach Lake — See Leach creek. 
Lsambro Creek— See Jackson creek. 
Leiand — Discontinued postoffice in 
the town of Honey Creek, named for 
Cyrus Leiand, member of state legisla- 
ture. 

Lime Ridge— Village in the town of 
Ironton, named for a lime ridge about 
a mile west of the place, where the first 
postoffice was located. 

Litchfield— Portion of the plat of the 
city of Baraboo, named by R. G. Camp 
for lyitchfield Conn., which in turn was 
named for Litchfield, England, 

Little Prairie — Level tract in town 
of Troy, named from the small size of 
the prairie. 

Loddes Mill — Discontinued postoffice 
in the town of Prairie du Sac, named 
for Martin Lodde. The postoffice was 
once called Rowells Mills for Henry 
Rowell. 

Log Town — See Plain. 
LorettO — Discontinued postoffice in 
the town of Bear Creek, named by Rev. 
Fr. T. A Byrne for Loretto, Italy. It 
is sometimes spelled Loreto. 
Loretto — See Delton. 
Lower Narrows— See Narrows. 
Lyons— Suburb of Baraboo named by 
Harvey Can field, for Lyons, New York- 

[33] 



where he once resided. lyyons, New 
York, was named for Lyons, France. 

Manchester — Abandoned plat and 
village where the city pumping station 
is located, named for eastern city. 

Man Mound Park— A park in the 
town of Greenfield, named for large 
Indian effigy mound shaped like a man, 
the only known man mound in the world. 

Marian Park — A park at Prairie du 
Sac, named by W. H. Jacobs for his 
daughter. 

Marston — Town formerly in the 
northwestern part of the county, no 
longer on the maps, probably named for 
some resident or eastern town by the 
name of Marston. There was a post- 
office called Marston which was changed 
to Iva Valle on account of it being simi- 
lar to Mansion in the next county. 

MattS Ferry — See Merrimack. 

Merrimack — Town and village, nam- 
ed by Mrs. J. G. Train for the county of 
Merrimack in New Hampshire. It 
should be spelled with the final k, the 
same as the New Hampshire name. The 
villag,e of Merrimack was first called 
Matts ferry for Chester Mattson who 
operated a ferry there. When the post- 
office was established it was called Colla- 
mer for the postmaster general. The 
name was afterward changed to Merri 

[34] 



mack. Gannett says the Indian word 
Merrimack means "sturgeon" or "swift 
water". 

Minnewaukan — See Devils lake. 

Mirror Lake — Once known as the 
"upper" or LaBar's pond. It was 
formed in 1860 by the erection of a dam 
near the village of Delton. As the 
people came to visit it for pleasure or 
fishing, the remarkably clear reflections 
attracted attention and exclamation, 
"what a mirror," and the like. In this 
way the name gradually changed. It is 
said that Mrs. C. A. Noyes of Kilbourn 
is credited with first applying the name. 

Narrows Creek — A stream which 
flows through the narrows and into the 
Baraboo river at Ableman. 

Narrows Prairie — A level tract 
west of Ableman, named for Narrows 
creek which flows through the prairie 
and quartzite narrows. 

Narrows, Upper and Lower — 
Narrow gorges in the quartzite hills 
where the Baraboo river enters and 
emerges from the canoe shaped Baraboo 
valley . 

New Buffalo — Town once in the 
northeastern part of the county but no 
longer on the map. Many of the resi- 
dents came from Buffalo, New York, to 
New Buffalo. 

r35] 



New Haven — Abandoned village 
plat in Sumpter, named for New Haven, 
Conn. See Kings Corners. 

Norris— See Delton. 

North Freedom — Village located in 
the northern part of the town of Free- 
dom, hence North Freedom. Where 
the roads meet in th e center of the sec- 
tion was originally called Hacketts cor- 
ners from the families residing there. 
When the railroad was built two plats 
were made, one called Bloom for George 
W. Bloom and one called North Free- 
dom. Afterwards Bloom station was 
changed to North Freedom. Iron ore 
used for paint was later discovered and 
the name became Bessemer in honor of 
Sir Henry Bessemer, who invented the 
process of reducing iron ore. The name 
of North Freedom was later decided 
upon. 

Oliver— Village site, platted in the 
town of Freedom in 1911 and named for 
Henry W. Oliver who was engaged in 
the mining industr\^ 

Otter Creek — A stream in the towns 
of Sumpter and Prairie du Sac, so 
named for the animals which once in- 
habited the stream. 

Otterville — An abandoned postoffice 
near the head v/aters of Otter Creek. 

Palmer Creek— Stream in Green- 
field, named for Isaac Palmer. 

[36] 



Parfreys Glen — Beautiful glen in 
Greenfield, named fot Robert Parfrey. 
There was once a mill and distillery 
there. 

Pecks Prairie — A level tract east of 
and adjacent to the city of Baraboo, 
named for Eben Peck. 

Pewits Nest — A water-fall and 
gorge on Skillet creek. W. H. Can- 
field says in his "Outline Sketches' ' 
that the place received its name in 1843 
from the circumstance of an ingenious, 
eccentric mechanic building a workshop 
in a recess of the solid sand-rock, ten 
feet above a deep pool of water, con- 
fined within the walls of this canyon, 
dug out by the plunge of water over a 
fall of eight or ten feet in height. The 
approach to it was either through a trap- 
door in the roof or a trap-door in the 
floor. If through the roof it was by 
climbing down the rock wall to it; if 
through the floor it was by a floating 
bridge upon the pool with a ladder at 
its end leading to the trap-door in the 
floor . The shop could not be seen from 
the mouth of the canyon or from the 
top from any direction save one. Hence, 
by the early settlers it was dubbed 
"Pewits Nest". 

Pine Creek— A stream which flows 
into Skillet creek, named for the timber 
on its banks. 

[37] 



Plain — Village in the town of Frank- 
lin, once called Cramers Corners because 
Solomon Cramer, John Cramer and 
Adam Cramer owned the land. A num- 
ber of rough buildings were put up at 
the corners and the place became known 
as Log Town. J. H. Carpenter of 
Spring Green says the place was called 
Plain because the inhabitants were plain 
people. 

Pleasant Prairie— See Websters 
prairie. 

Plum Greek — Streim in Woodland 
named for wild fruit once abundant in 
the locality. 

Plummer Lake— A lake in Fairfield 
named for Edward Plummer. 

Plum Valley —See Plum creek. 

Point Sauk— The highest land in 
Sauk county, being about 1,620 feet 
above sea level. The point was named 
by the United States Geographic board 
in 1907 and is located on the P. Fitzsim- 
mons farm, near the center of section 
15, town of Greenfield. 

Podunk— See Climax. 

Poor Dickie — See Climax. 

Prairie du Sac — Town and village, 
named for the Sac or Sauk Indians once 
residing there — Prairie of the Sacs or 
Meadow of the Sauks. 

Prentice Creek — Stream in Green- 

[38] 



field name for Alexander Prentice. 

Ouiggle Creek — Stream in Merri- 
mack, named for D. M. Quiggle. It 
was once called Searl creek for H. 
Searl who built a mill there. 

Quisisana — Resort on the Wisconsin 
near Kilbourn, "Here you find health." 
The name was given by Mrs. L,ydia 
Ely, Kilbourn. 

Reedsburg -Town and city named 
for D. C. Reed. The city was origin- 
ally spelled Reedsburgh. 

Rattlesnake Knob— An elevation in 
the town of Dellona inhabited by rattle- 
snakes. 

Rebock Prairie — Level tract of land 
in La Valle, named for early owner. 

Riches Postoffice — Discontinued 
postoffice in the northeast portion of the 
town of Troy, named for Robert Riches. 

Rock Springs— See Ableman. 

Rosalietown— Deserted hamlet on 
the Wisconsin river between Merrimack 
and Prairie du Sac, named for Mrs. 
Rosalie Naffz, wife of Charles Naffz. 

Rowells Mills — See Loddes Mill, 

Rowley Creek — See Jackson creek. 

Russells Corners — Discontinued 
postoffice in Fairfield, named for John 
B. Russell. 

Sandusky — Postoffice in the town of 
Washington, named by William Dano 
and Joshua Holmes for Sandusky, 

[39] 



Ohio, their former home. Gannett says 
the name is derived from the Indian 
outsandouke, "there is pure water 
here," or from sa-anduste, "large 
pools of water." Another authority- 
gives the meaning as "cold spring." 

Sauk — The county, from the tribe of 
Sauk or Sac Indians. When the 
county was organized January 10, 1849, 
the word Sauk was familiar, the Indians 
having formerly dwelt at Prairie du Sac 
where they had quite a village. They 
lived in Michigan, according to the 
earliest records, were driven to Wiscon- 
sin, then across the Mississippi river, 
afterwards into Iowa, Kansas and at 
last to Indian Territory. Carver visited 
the village at Prairie du Sac in 1766 and 
wrote that the Indians had comfortable 
houses. The word Sac. Sauk and 
Saukies are synonymous and Ozaukee 
is the Chippewa form for the tri- 
bal name of Sauk. According to Leg- 
ler the word is commonly asserted to 
mean "people living at the mouth of a 
river," while Gannett interprets it as 
signifying "people of the yellow earth." 
In 1849 Alfred Brunson wrote that 
Sauk county received its name from 
Sauk prairie within its limits. 

Sauk City— Village first called Har- 
szthy for Count Augustine Harszthy, 

[40] 



one of the founders. The name was 
difficult to remember so it was changed 
to Westfield but as the word city, when 
attached to names of places, was popular 
then, it was later called Sauk City, 
after the name of the county . 

Sauk Prairie —See Sauk county. In 
his history of Wisconsin published in 
1846, I. A. Lapham says: "The prai- 
rie is about eight miles wide and extends 
eighteen miles along the Wisconsin. Its 
name is given in allusion to its form, 
being that of a sack or bag and not 
from Sauk, the tribe of Indians." 

Saukville — Section between Prairie 
du Sac and Sauk City, now included 
within the limits of the villages. 

Searl Creek— See Quiggle creek. 

Sibertz Creek— A stream in the 
eastern part of Greenfield, named for 
Jacob Sibertz. 

Skillet Creek— Captain Levi Moore 
built a cabin near Skillet Falls and 
named the stream and falls from the 
waterworn holes in the soft sand-rock 
because they looked much like iron ves- 
sels called "skillets." 

Skillet Falls— See Skillet creek. 

SligO — An early Irish settlement in 
Winfield, named for Sligo in Ireland. 

Spring Creek — In Winfield, named 
for the many springs along its course. 

[41] 



Spring Green — Town and village. 
There is much uncertainty and there has 
been much discussion es to the naming 
of Spring Green. The Spring Green 
News of July 10, 1902, says that ac- 
cording to the late Samuel Huntley the 
prairie was the first in the spring of the 
year to show vegetation, hence the town 
was known by that name many years 
previous to the existence of the village. 
Some believed the name came from 
Garwood Green, the second postmaster, 
but this is not likely as the town was 
named Spring Green some years before 
the village, where the postoffice was lo- 
cated. J. F. Morrow writes to the Bar- 
aboo News as follows: "Mary Williams 
named Spring Green, all old settlers 
know this. There was a spot on the 
south side of the bluffs that always 
'greened up' sooner in the spring than 
did the prairie under which is a stratum 
of cold clay that keeps it back. Mrs. 
Williams could see this from her house 
which stood until some years ago north- 
east of the town, and no doubt, after the 
long, lonesome winters, viewed this 
spot in an exaggerated way. As Spring- 
Green lies in the bend of the river the 
cold ice water keeps the vegetation 
back, but when it comes it comes with 
a rush." 

[42] 



Sumpter — Town once called Kings- 
ton. When Fort Sumter was fired 
upon the name of Kingston was changed 
to Sumpter on account of there being 
another Kingston in the state. The 
name Sumpter was wrongly spelled on 
an early map and the letter "p", is 
still inserted. Fort Sumter was named 
for Thomas Sumter of the Revolution- 
ary war and the word means a pack- 
horse or the driver of a pack-horse. 

Stead Prairie — Level tract of land in 
Baraboo valley, named for early owner. 

Troy — Town named by Johnathan 
W. Harris for Troy, Richland county, 
Ohio, his former home. Troy is the 
name of a city in Asia Minor. 

Tuckerville — Discontinued post- 
office in the town of Washington named 
for William Tucker. The vicinity is 
now called Hill Point, from a hill lo- 
cated there. 

Twin Creek— Streams in Winfield, 
so named because there are two alike. 

Upper Narrows— See Narrows. 

Valton — Postoffice in the town of 
Woodland, probably a contraction of 
Vale Town or Valley Town. 

Washington — Town , probably 

named for first president and not for 

Washington Gray, a resident of the 

town 

Websters Prairie — Level tract be- 

r43] 



twecn Baraboo and Delton, named for 
H. H. Webster. On the early maps it 
was called Pleasant prairie. 

Westfield — Town, named for the 
village of Westfield, now lyOganville. 
C. P. lyOgan came from Westfield, New 
York, and gave the name to the village. 
The original Westfield was in Massa- 
chusetts, so named because on the west- 
ern boundary of an early survey. 

Westfield— See Sauk City. 

White Mound— Postoflfice in Frank- 
lin, named for a hill called White 
Mound. 

Wilson Creek — A stream in the 
southwestern part of the county named 
for Thomas Wilson, a Scotchman, who 
came to Helena to work in the shot 
tower. He crossed the Wisconsin river 
as early as 1838 to explore the country 
and moved into Sauk county in 1840. 

Wisconsin — When a new country 
is discovered the first objects to be 
named are the bodies of water, streams, 
elevations and other natural features. 
The first name in this section of the 
state to appear on any map was the 
name of the river which bounds Sauk 
county on the northeast and southeast 
— the Wisconsin. The name was spelled 
far differently two hundred or more 
years ago and it is interesting to note 

[44] 



some of the changes which the word has 
undergone. 

In 1673 Marquette and Joliet discov- 
ered the river and Joliet wrote it Riviere 
Miskonsing. 

Henry E. Legler says in his 
"Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin 
Place Names" that on a map supposed 
to have been made by Engineer Fran- 
quelin (I68I) he calls Wisconsin 
"Miskous". 

Marquette spelled it Meskousing. 

Franquelin's map, 1688, R. Ouiscon- 
sing. 

Coronelli map, 1688, Ouiscmising. 

Hennepin, 1683, R. de Ouisconsins. 

Hennepin, 1697, R. Ouiconsing. 

Hennepin, 1697, Riviere Ouisconsing. 
(Engraved for Book.) 

I,a Hontan, 1709, R. d. Ouriconsing. 

L,a Hontan, 1703, Ouisconsink. 

All these in time crystalized into 
Ouisconsin, this orthography being used 
on Mitchell's Travelers Guide, 1634, and 
by Phelps & Squire, 1836. Copies of 
the last two named maps are in the 
Sauk County Historical society collec- 
tion. 

Mr. lyCgler further says: "As wi'h 
other geographical names derived from 
Indian sources, the real meaning of the 
word Wisconsin (Chippewa origin, is so 

r45] 



obscure as to be in dispute. The pop- 
ular translation is 'wild, rushing chan- 
nel,' a definition that accords well with 
the nature of the stream, but which 
nevertheless is of doubtful authenticity. 
Another rendering, 'the gathering of 
the waters', is pronounced absurd by 
students of the Algonquin tongue. Mrs. 
Charlotte Ouisconsin Van Cleve, in her 
'Three Score Years and Ten', says that 
the Indians termed the stream Nee-na- 
hoo-na-ninka (beautiful little river). 

"It is claimed by Consul W. Butter- 
field that the name is derived from the 
physical features of its lower course, 
where are observable the highlands or 
river hills. 'Some of these hills present 
high and precipitous faces toward the 
water. Others terminate in knobs. The 
name is supposed to have been taken 
from this feature, the word being de- 
rived from Missi, "great," and Os-sin, 
"a stone or rock." ' 

"The word Wisconsin is the resul tof 
considerable change from the first ren- 
dering. On Marquette's genuine map, 
where the stream is indicated for the 
first time, no name is put down. Joliet's 
map gives it as Miskonsing. Friar 
Hennepin wrote it Onisconsin and 
again Misconsin, and the French traveler 
Charlevoix, who visited this country 
early in the eighteenth century, gave his 

[46] 



preference to this form: Ouisconsing. 
It was not long before the final letter 
was dropped, and this form was re- 
tained until the present English spell- 
ing superseded that of the French. 

"From its source in Lake Vieux De- 
sert on the northern boundary line, the 
stream flows through this state for four 
hundred and fifty miles. Its descent 
from the lake to where, at Prairie du 
Chien, it debouches into the Mississippi, 
is about a thousand feet. From the 
famous portage that has played such an 
important part in Western history, 
where the Wisconsin turns to the south- 
west, the current is exceedingly rapid, 
and the distance to the mouth a hun- 
dred and eighteen miles." 

The same authority says Wisconsin 
means "muskrat house." 

Dr. R. G. Thwaites in his "Wiscon- 
sin" says that the meaning of the ab- 
original word thus variously rendered is 
now unknown. Popular writers de- 
clare that it signifies "gathering of the 
waters," or "meeting of waters," hav- 
ing reference possibly, to the occasional 
mingling of the divergent streams over 
the low lying watershed at the Fox- 
Wisconsin portage; but there is no 
warrant for this. In order to preserve 
the sound in English, it became nee- 

[47] 



/ 



essary on the arrival of the Americans 
to modify the French spelling. At 
first it was locally rendered "Wiskon- 
san" (which is closely phonetic,) then 
"Wiskonsin"; but congress seemed 
to prefer the hard c, and this was re- 
tained in place of k, despite the protests 
cf Governor Doty and many territorial 
newspaper editors. Thus the official 
spelling became Wisconsin and the ter- 
ritorial legislature on January 30, 1845, 
approved by resolution the act of con- 
gress nine years before, concludes the 
historian. 

The territorial legislature, January 
30, 1845, passed a resolution declaring 
the name of the territory, "Wisconsin," 
The same orthography was used by con- 
gress in establishing the territorial gov- 
ernment. The act by congress was 
approved April 20, 1836. 

W. H. Stennett of Chicago says that 
Wisconsin comes from a Sauk Indian 
word having reference to holes in the 
bank of a stream in which birds nest. 

Wilson Creek — Discontinued post- 
office in the southwest corner of Troy, 
named for Thomas Wilson. 

Winfield— Town, named for General 
Winfield Scott. 

Witwen — Discontinued postoffice in 
the town of Troy, named for G. and J. 
P. Witwen, who built a mill there. 

[48] 



Woodland — Town. There is some 
doubt as to the origin of the name but 
probably named on account of the abun- 
dance of timber. 

Woodlawn — Discontinued postoffice 
in the town of Washington, named for 
Dr. William A. Wood. 



[49] 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Many letters were written to persons 
in various parts of the county and coun- 
try in order to obtain the information 
in these pages. To all these thanks are 
due. The following books have also 
been consulted: 

Origin of Certain Place Names in the 
United States, by Henry Gannett, 1905. 

A History of the Origin of the Place 
Names Connected with the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railway, by W. H. Sten- 
nett, 1908. 

Outline Sketches of Sauk County, by 
W. H. Canfield, 1861. 

History of Sauk County, 1880. 

Origin and Meaning of Wisconsin 
Place Names by Henry E. Legler, 1903. 

Wisconsin Historical Collections. 



[50] 



SAUK COUNTY, WIS. 




The territorial legislature of Wisconsin passed an act to establish 
the county of Sauk and defined its limits as indicated by the heavy 
lines around the outside. It will be noted that the Wisconsin river 
formed a part of the original plat as it now does. The act was approved 
January 11, 1840, and the county commissioners on January 10, 1849, 
divided the county into six towns — Honey Creek, Prairie du Sac, 
Kingston, Eagle, Brooklyn andBaraboo. The limits of the six towns are 
also indicated by the heavy cross lines, while the light lines give the 
boundaries of the towns as they are at the present time. A portion 
of the original area was afterward cut off and put into Richland 
county. 






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